IC chip and information processing terminal

ABSTRACT

When an IC card is passed over an external card reading and writing apparatus, the IC card starts communication with the card reading and writing apparatus via a wireless interface, so that a change in the internal state of the IC card is reported to an external device via an external wired interface or a dedicated control signal line, thus allowing a specific application to be enabled on the external device or allowing a controller to be powered on and activated. Alternatively, the controller is powered off and deactivated. Accordingly, processing according to the communication state between the IC card and the card reading and writing apparatus or the internal state of the IC card can be smoothly initiated.

This application is a reissue application of application Ser. No.10/433,785, now U.S. Pat. No. 7,240,846, issued Jul. 10, 2007, which isa 371 of PCT/JP02/10542 filed on Oct. 10, 2002. The present inventioncontains subject matter related to Japanese Patent Application JP2001-334965 filed in the Japanese Patent Office on Oct. 31, 2001.

1. Technical Field

The present invention relates to a non-contact IC card or IC chip whichhas a memory function for storing data and which is configured such thatdata can be read from and written to the memory in a non-contact manner.More particularly, the present invention relates to a non-contact ICcard or IC chip including a wireless interface for wireless data accessto the memory function from an external reader/writer and a wiredinterface for connection with an external device, and relates to aninformation processing terminal such as a cellular telephone, a PDA, ora personal computer connected to such an IC card via a wired interfaceor incorporating such an IC chip when used.

2. Background Art

Hitherto, a variety of apparatuses using a secret personal number or apassword for personal identity verification or authentication has beendevised and put into practice. In banks or other financial institutions,for example, for using cash cards or credit cards, cash dispensers orother banking terminals prompt users to enter a secret personal numberor a password for personal identity authentication, and cash cannot bedeposited or withdrawn until it has been confirmed that the correctsecret personal number or password was entered by the user.

A storage medium such as a magnetic stripe placed on one cash card hasonly a single storage area for only the corresponding bank. Theabove-noted secret personal number or password entry merely allowsaccess to the single storage area, and may be insufficient forprotection against forgery or theft.

For anti-forgery purposes, the cash card or credit card is oftenimplemented as a contact IC card having an electric contact or anon-contact IC card for reading and writing data in a non-contact mannervia wireless data communication. IC card readers/writers installed in,for example, cash dispensers, at the entrances of concert halls, onstation ticket gates, and so on are able to access IC cards passedthereover by users in a non-contact manner.

A user enters a secret personal number to the reader of an IC cardreader/writer to verify the entered secret personal number against asecret personal number stored in the IC card, thus realizing personalidentity verification or authentication between the IC card and the ICcard reader/writer. When personal identity verification orauthentication is successfully performed, for example, an applicationstored in the IC card can be used. The applications stored in an IC cardmay include, for example, that for amount information such as electronicmoney and electronic ticketing. (A secret personal number for use inaccessing an IC card is referred to as PIN (Personal IdentificationNumber).)

Recently, with the development of nanotechnology, IC cards having arelatively large capacity of storage space have become commerciallyavailable and have become increasingly widespread. Since a traditionalcash card has only a single storage area, i.e., a single application,carried therein, it is necessary to carry a plurality of cards forvarious uses or applications. On the other hand, the above-noted IC cardhaving a large capacity memory can concurrently store a plurality ofapplications, and, therefore, a single IC card can be used for aplurality of applications. For example, more than one application usedfor electronic money for electronic payment, electronic tickets foradmission to designated concert halls, and so on can be stored on asingle IC card so as to use the single IC card in various applications.

An IC card includes not only a non-contact interface with a cardreader/writer (card reading and writing apparatus) but also a wiredinterface for connecting to an external device, and the IC card can beconnected to or installed in an information processing terminal such asa cellular telephone, a PDA (Personal Digital Assistant), or a personalcomputer when used. (In many cases where the IC card is installed in theterminal, the IC card is formed into one chip. The IC card and IC chipare hereinafter collectively referred to simply as an “IC card”.)

In such a case, a variety of application services using the IC card canbe performed on the information processing terminal. For example, a userinterface such as a keyboard or a display on the information processingterminal can be used for user interaction with the IC card on theinformation processing terminal. If the IC card is connected to acellular telephone, the content stored in the IC card can be exchangedover a telephone line.

It is to be understood that, in the case where amount information suchas electronic money and electronic tickets is stored in the IC card, theinformation processing terminal can realize amount informationprocessing such as electronic payment and other various services. Theinformation processing terminal can also provide processing according toa data transfer phase between the IC card and a card reading and writingapparatus, or processing according to the internal state of the IC card.

DISCLOSURE OF INVENTION

Generally, non-contact IC cards can be driven by power extracted fromwireless communication with a card reading and writing apparatus.Therefore, once the IC card is passed over the card reading and writingapparatus, it can be activated.

On the other hand, an information processing terminal which is driven bya battery (or a commercial power supply) must be powered on beforehandand must further start an application to perform desired processing.

An information processing terminal connected to or incorporating an ICcard does not include a mechanism for determining the communicationstate between the IC card and a card reading and writing apparatus.Thus, the information processing terminal integrated with the IC cardcannot execute applications for the IC card only by passing the IC cardover the card reading and writing apparatus, and a predeterminedapplication must be started on the information processing terminalbeforehand for preparation. An application is started on the informationprocessing terminal by a manual user operation, which is bothersome whenthe IC card is used.

The present invention has been made in view of the aforementionedtechnical problems, and, primarily, it is an object of the presentinvention to provide a better non-contact IC card or IC chip including awireless interface for wireless data access to a memory function from anexternal reader/writer and a wired interface for connection with anexternal device, and to provide a better information processing terminalconnected to such an IC card via a wired interface or incorporating suchan IC chip when used.

It is another object of the present invention to provide an IC cardincluding both a wireless interface and a wired interface, in whichprocessing related to the IC card can be smoothly initiated withoutheavy burden on the user, and to provide an information processingterminal connected to such an IC card via a wired interface or havingthe IC card installed therein.

It is another object of the present invention to provide an IC cardhaving both a wireless interface and a wired interface, in whichprocessing according to the communication state between the IC card anda card reading and writing apparatus or the internal state of the ICcard can be smoothly initiated, and to provide an information processingterminal connected to such an IC card via a wired interface or havingthe IC card installed therein.

The present invention has been made in order to overcome theaforementioned problems, and, in a first aspect of the presentinvention, an IC chip includes a memory for storing predeterminedinformation; a control unit for controlling access to the memory; awireless communication unit for performing wireless communication with areading and writing apparatus which accesses the memory; and an externalinterface for connecting to an information processing terminal externalto the chip, wherein an internal state, which changes according to thewireless communication with the reading and writing apparatus via thewireless communication unit, is reported to the information processingterminal connected to the external interface. The wireless communicationunit can vary the load across an antenna thereof according to a responsesignal to a query signal from the reading and writing apparatus, so thata signal that appears in a receiving circuit of the reading and writingapparatus is amplitude-modulated for non-contact data communication.

The IC chip according to the first aspect of the present invention maycause the internal state, which changes according to the wirelesscommunication with the reading and writing apparatus via the wirelesscommunication unit, to be reported to the information processingterminal via the external interface. Alternatively, the internal statemay be reported to the information processing terminal via a dedicatedcommunication path other than the external interface.

In a second aspect of the present invention, an IC chip includes amemory for storing predetermined information; a control unit forcontrolling access to the memory; a wireless communication unit forperforming wireless communication with a reading and writing apparatuswhich accesses the memory; an external interface for connecting to aninformation processing terminal external to the chip; and a carrier wavedetection unit for detecting a carrier wave from the reading and writingapparatus, wherein a report indicating whether or not the carrier wavehas been detected, which is obtained from the carrier wave detectionunit, is sent to the information processing terminal connected to theexternal interface. The wireless communication unit can vary the loadacross an antenna thereof according to a response signal to a querysignal from the reading and writing apparatus, so that a signal thatappears in a receiving circuit of the reading and writing apparatus isamplitude-modulated for non-contact data communication.

The IC chip according to the second aspect of the present invention maycause the report indicating whether or not the carrier wave has beendetected from the reading and writing apparatus to be sent to theinformation processing terminal via the external interface.Alternatively, the report indicating whether or not the carrier wave hasbeen detected may be sent to the information processing terminal via adedicated communication path other than the external interface.

Generally, once an IC chip or IC card is passed over a reading andwriting apparatus, a carrier wave is received from the reading andwriting apparatus, thereby starting communication with the reading andwriting apparatus via a wireless communication unit. According to the ICchip of the first or second aspect of the present invention, a change inthe internal state of the IC chip or the presence or absence of carrierwaves from the card reading and writing apparatus can be reported to theinformation processing terminal using the external interface or adedicated control signal line. The information processing terminal doesnot rely on a user operation to automatically enable a specificapplication for processing the IC card or to power on a controller toactivate it. When no carrier wave is detected, the controller may bepowered off or deactivated, thus achieving power saving.

In a third aspect of the present invention, an information processingterminal which is equipped with an IC chip for performing wirelesscommunication with a reading and writing apparatus includes:

an external interface to which the IC chip is connected; and

a control unit for controlling the overall operation of the terminal,

wherein an internal state, which changes according to the wirelesscommunication with the reading and writing apparatus, is reported fromthe IC chip.

The IC chip incorporated in the information processing terminal variesthe load across an antenna thereof according to a response signal to aquery signal from the reading and writing apparatus, so that a signalthat appears in a receiving circuit of the reading and writing apparatusis amplitude-modulated for communication.

The information processing terminal according to the third aspect of thepresent invention may cause the internal state of the IC chip, whichchanges according to the wireless communication with the reading andwriting apparatus, to be reported to the information processing terminalvia the external interface. Alternatively, the internal state may bereported to the information processing terminal via a dedicatedcommunication path other than the external interface.

The control unit may start processing according to the reported internalstate of the IC chip. Since an application is automatically enabled ordisabled on the information processing terminal according to theinternal state of IC chip, the user need not perform a time-consumingoperation to enable the application each time the IC chip is used.

The information processing terminal according to the third aspect of thepresent invention may further include a power supply control unit forcontrolling power supply to the control unit to be turned on and/or off.The power supply control unit switches power supply to the control unitto be turned on and/or off according to the reported internal state ofthe IC chip. Therefore, according to the internal state of the IC chip,power is not fed to the control unit unless necessary, and power supplyto the control unit is automatically turned on if necessary, thusachieving power saving.

In a fourth aspect of the present invention, an information processingterminal which is equipped with an IC chip for performing wirelesscommunication with a reading and writing apparatus includes:

an external interface to which the IC chip is connected; and

a control unit for controlling the overall operation of the terminal,

wherein a report indicating whether or not a carrier wave from thereading and writing apparatus has been detected is received from the ICchip.

The IC chip incorporated in the information processing terminal variesthe load across an antenna thereof according to a response signal to aquery signal from the reading and writing apparatus, so that a signalthat appears in a receiving circuit of the reading and writing apparatusis amplitude-modulated for communication.

The information processing terminal according to the fourth aspect ofThe present invention may cause a report indicating whether or not thecarrier wave has been detected from the reading and writing apparatus tobe sent to the information processing terminal via the externalinterface. Alternatively, a report indicating whether or not the carrierwave has been detected from the reading and writing apparatus may besent to the information processing terminal via a dedicatedcommunication path other than the external interface.

The control unit may start predetermined processing when the IC chipdetects a carrier wave from the reading and writing apparatus. Since anapplication is automatically enabled or disabled on the informationprocessing terminal according to the communication state of the IC chip,the user need not perform a time-consuming operation to enable theapplication each time the IC chip is used.

The information processing terminal according to the fourth aspect ofthe present invention may further include a power supply control unitfor controlling power supply to the control unit to be turned on and/oroff. The power supply control unit switches power supply to the controlunit to be turned on and/or off according to whether or not the IC chiphas detected a carrier wave from the reading and writing apparatus.Therefore, according to the internal state of the IC chip, power is notfed to the control unit unless necessary, and power supply to thecontrol unit is automatically turned on if necessary, thus achievingpower saving.

Other objects, features, and advantages of the present invention willbecome apparent from the following more detailed description taken inconjunction with embodiments of the present invention or with referenceto the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing the structure of a ticket-checkingsystem 1 which employs a portable terminal 2 according to an embodimentof the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing the structure of a payment systemrealized by using a portable terminal 2 having an IC card function and acard reading and writing function.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing the concept of wireless communication basedon electromagnetic induction between the card reading and writingapparatus and the IC card.

FIG. 4 is a model diagram of the combination of the card reading andwriting apparatus and the IC card, which is considered as a singletransformer.

FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram of the hardware configuration of an ICcard 100 according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram of the hardware configuration of an ICcard 100-2 according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram of the hardware configuration of an ICcard 100-3 according to a third embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 8 is a schematic diagram of the hardware configuration of an ICcard 100-4 according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 9 is a schematic diagram of the hardware configuration of an ICcard 100-5 according to a fifth embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram of the hardware configuration of an ICcard 100-6 according to a sixth embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 11 is a diagram showing in further detail the hardwareconfiguration of the IC card 100 which realizes the embodiments shown inFIGS. 5 through 10.

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

Embodiments of the present invention are described in detail below withreference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 schematically shows the structure of a ticket-checking system 1which employs a portable terminal 2 according to an embodiment of thepresent invention. The portable terminal 2 is, for example, a cellulartelephone with a non-contact IC card function, and is carried by a userduring transportation. A ticket checker 4 is installed in a stationticket gate or the like, and uses the opening and closing operation of awalk-through door 8 to control users walking therethrough based on thebilling state or other conditions. A card reading and writing apparatus6 is installed on the ticket checker 4 to access an IC card from theportable terminal 2 of a user walking through the ticket gate to readand write data.

When the user carrying the portable terminal 2 is close to the ticketchecker 4, the card reading and writing apparatus 6 installed on theticket checker 4 senses the portable terminal 2 approaching it andperforms communication with the portable terminal 2. When the user isallowed to walk therethrough after billing and authentication checks,the walk-through door 8 opens, thus allowing the user to walk throughthe ticket gate.

The portable terminal 2 according to this embodiment may have not onlythe IC card function but also a card reading and writing function foraccessing an external IC. FIG. 2 schematically shows the configurationof a payment system realized by using the portable terminal 2 having anIC card function and a card reading and writing function.

In the payment system shown in FIG. 2, an information terminal 12, suchas a cellular telephone, can perform non-contact communication with anon-contact IC card 2 external to the terminal, and can be connected toa host terminal on a network via a cellular telephone network 14. As anexample, when a small transportation charge (transportation points)balance or other amount information remains on the non-contact IC card2, the portable terminal 12 reads the amount information recorded on theIC card 2. If the amount is insufficient, the portable terminal 12accesses a control computer 15 via a base station antenna 13 over thecellular telephone network 14 to acquire new points therefrom and writesthe points to the non-contact IC card.

The manner by which an information processing terminal such as acellular telephone is equipped with an IC card is not uniquely defined.For example, an IC chip formed into one chip and a wireless antenna maybe installed in an information processing terminal, or a IC chip formedinto a card, i.e., an IC card, may be connected to a card slot or anyother wired interface of a portable terminal. In the followingdescription, the IC chip and IC card are collectively referred to as anIC card. The IC card has a function relating to amount information, suchas prepaid electronic money or electronic ticketing.

Wireless communication between a card reading and writing apparatus andan IC card is realized based on, for example, the principle ofelectromagnetic induction. FIG. 3 illustrates the concept of wirelesscommunication based on electromagnetic induction between the cardreading and writing apparatus and the IC card.

The card reading and writing apparatus includes an antenna L_(RW) formedof a loop coil for generating a magnetic field therearound by causing acurrent I_(RW) to flow in the antenna L_(RW). The IC card has a loopcoil L_(C) electrically formed around the IC card. An induced voltagecaused by the magnetic field generated by the loop antenna L_(C) of thecard reading and writing apparatus is generated at ends of the loop coilL_(C) of the IC card, and is input to terminals of the IC card that areconnected to the ends of the loop coil L_(C).

Although the degree of coupling of the antenna L_(RW) of the cardreading and writing apparatus and the loop coil L_(C) of the IC cardvaries depending upon the positional relationship therebetween, thecombination of the antenna L_(RW) and the loop coil L_(C) can beconsidered as a single transformer. The reading and writing operationfor the IC card can be therefore represented as the model shown in FIG.4.

In the card reading and writing apparatus, the current I_(RW) whichflows to the antenna L_(RW) is modulated to modulate a voltage V_(O)induced in the loop coil L_(C) on the IC chip. The card reading andwriting apparatus can then use this mechanism to transmit data to the ICcard. The data to be transmitted includes a secret personal number orpassword entered by a user on an external device connected to the cardreading and writing apparatus, a secret personal code for acquiring anaccess right to an application or a directory, and amount information,such as electronic money and electronic tickets, which is offered by anapplication.

The IC card has a function (load switching) for varying the load betweenthe terminals of the loop coil L_(C) according to data to be returned tothe card reading and writing apparatus. When the load between theterminals of the loop coil L_(C) varies, the impedance between theantenna terminals of the card reading and writing apparatus changes,thus causing a change in the flowing current I_(RW) or voltage V_(RW) ofthe antenna L_(RW). The card reading and writing apparatus demodulatesthis change so as to receive the data returned from the IC card. Thedata received by an external device from the IC card includes amountinformation, such as electronic money and electronic tickets, which isoffered by an application.

That is, the IC card varies the load across the antenna thereofaccording to a response signal to a query signal from the card readingand writing apparatus, so that the signal that appears in a receivingcircuit of the card reading and writing apparatus is amplitude-modulatedfor communication.

FIG. 5 schematically shows the hardware configuration of an IC card 100according to a first embodiment of the present invention. As shown inFIG. 5, the IC card 100 includes an antenna unit 101, an analog unit102, a digital control unit 103, a memory 104, and an external interface105.

The antenna unit 101 performs non-contact data transmission andreception to and from a card reading and writing apparatus (not shown).The analog unit 102 performs processing on an analog signal which istransmitted or received from the antenna unit 101, such as detection,modulation/demodulation, and clock extraction.

The digital control unit 103 totally controls processing on receiveddata or data to be transmitted or other operations of the IC card. Thedigital control unit 103 is locally connected with the addressablememory 104, which can be used to store electronic money or electronicticketing applications, load a program code executed by the digitalcontrol unit 103, or to save the working data in progress.

The external interface 105 is a function module for connecting thedigital control unit 103 to an external device, such as the portableterminal 110, according to an interface protocol different from that ofa non-contact interface for connecting to the card reading and writingapparatus (not shown). The data written in the memory 104 can betransferred to the portable terminal 110 via the external interface 105.

The interface specification of the external interface 105 is not limitedin particular, and either a wired interface or a wireless interface suchas a Bluetooth or IEEE.802.11b interface may be used.

In this embodiment, it is assumed that the IC card 100 is installed inthe portable terminal 110 when used, and the external interface 105 isimplemented as a wired interface such as a UART or I²C interface(described below). However, the present invention is not limited to theabove-noted interface specification.

The IC card 100 can be driven by, for example, a reception wave receivedfrom the card reading and writing apparatus via the antenna unit 101. Itis to be understood that a part or all components of the IC card 100 maybe driven by power supplied from the portable terminal 110.

The portable terminal 110 corresponds to, for example, an informationprocessing terminal such as a cellular telephone, a PDA (PersonalDigital Assistant), or a personal computer (PC). The portable terminal110 includes a program control unit 111, a display unit 112, and a userinput unit 113.

The program control unit 111 includes, for example, a microprocessor, aRAM (Random Access Memory), and a ROM (Read Only Memory)(thesecomponents are not shown in FIG. 5), and the microprocessor uses the RAMfor a work area to execute various processing services according to aprogram code stored in the ROM. The processing services include theoriginal functions of the portable terminal 110, such as a cellulartelephone function, and processing for the IC card 100. It is to beunderstood that the program control unit 111 includes an externalstorage device such as a hard disk, and other peripheral devices.

The program control unit 111 can access the memory 104 of the IC card100 via the external interface 105.

The display unit 112 is formed of, for example, a liquid crystal display(LCD), and can present the processing result of the program control unit111 on a screen for notifying the user.

The user input unit 113 is formed of a keyboard, a jog dial, or a touchpanel laid on the display screen of the display unit 112, and is usedfor a user to input commands or data to the portable terminal 110.

The program control unit 111 of the portable terminal 110 is driven bypower fed from a main power supply (not shown), such as a battery.

When a user of the portable terminal 110 with the IC card 100 installedtherein passes the portable terminal 110 over a predetermined cardreading and writing apparatus, wireless communication is initiatedbetween the IC card 100 and the card reading and writing apparatus, sothat data is exchanged between the digital control unit 103 and the cardreading and writing apparatus via the antenna unit 101 and the analogunit 102, which serve as a wireless interface.

Each time data is exchanged, the internal state, such as a communicationphase between the digital control unit 103 and the card reading andwriting apparatus, changes. In this embodiment, a specific address ofthe memory 104 locally connected to the digital control unit 103 isassigned to a status flag indicating the internal state.

A change in content of the status flag is sent to the program controlunit 111 of the portable terminal 110 via the external interface 105.

The program control unit 111 detects the internal state of the IC card100 based on the content of the status flag to perform processingaccording to the internal state. For example, the internal state isexpressed on the display unit 112 by an icon indicating “communicationin progress”, a dialog for prompting user input is opened, anapplication corresponding to the internal state is enabled, telephoneline connection is performed (in a case of cellular telephone), oraccess to a LAN or an external network such as the Internet isinitiated. Furthermore, when the portable terminal 110 is connected to atelephone network or a network, data communicated between the IC card100 and the card reading and writing apparatus can be transmitted to ahost on the network, or, conversely, data downloaded from the host canbe transmitted to the card reading and writing apparatus via the IC card100.

FIG. 6 schematically shows the hardware configuration of an IC card100-2 according to a second embodiment of the present invention. Asshown in FIG. 6, the IC card 100-2 includes an antenna unit 101, ananalog unit 102, a digital control unit 103, a memory 104, and anexternal interface 105.

The antenna unit 101 performs non-contact data transmission andreception to and from a card reading and writing apparatus (not shown).The analog unit 102 performs processing on an analog signal which istransmitted or received from the antenna unit 101, such as detection,modulation/demodulation, and clock extraction.

The digital control unit 103 totally controls processing on receiveddata or data to be transmitted or other operations of the IC card. Thedigital control unit 103 is locally connected with the addressablememory 104, which can be used to store electronic money or electronicticketing applications, load a program code executed by the digitalcontrol unit 103, or to save the working data in progress.

The external interface 105 is a function module for connecting thedigital control unit 103 to an external device, such as the portableterminal 110, according to an interface protocol different from that ofa non-contact interface for connecting to the card reading and writingapparatus (not shown). The data written in the memory 104 can betransferred to the portable terminal 110 via the external interface 105.

In this embodiment, it is assumed that the IC card 100-2 is installed inthe portable terminal 110 when used, and the external interface 105 isimplemented as a wired interface such as a UART or I²C interface(described below). However, the interface specification of the externalinterface 105 is not limited in particular, and either a wired interfaceor a wireless interface such as a Bluetooth or IEEE.802.11b interfacemay be used.

In this embodiment, furthermore, the IC card 100-2 and the portableterminal 110 are connected with each other via the external interface105 as well as a dedicated signal line 121. Upon detection of a changein the internal state of the IC card 100-2, the digital control unit 103can report this detection directly to the portable terminal 110 via thededicated signal line 121 without intermediation of the externalinterface 105.

The IC card 100-2 can be driven by, for example, a reception wavereceived from the card reading and writing apparatus via the antennaunit 101. It is to be understood that a part or all components of the ICcard 100-2 may be driven by power supplied from the portable terminal110.

The portable terminal 110 corresponds to, for example, an informationprocessing terminal such as a cellular telephone, a PDA, or a personalcomputer (PC). The portable terminal 110 includes a program control unit111, a display unit 112, and a user input unit 113.

The program control unit 111 includes, for example, a microprocessor, aRAM, and a ROM (these components are not shown in FIG. 6), and themicroprocessor uses the RAM for a work area to execute variousprocessing services according to a program code stored in the ROM. Theprocessing services include the original functions of the portableterminal 110, such as a cellular telephone function, and processing forthe IC card 100-2. It is to be understood that the program control unit111 may include an external storage device such as a hard disk, andother peripheral devices.

The program control unit 111 can access the IC card 100-2 via theexternal interface 105.

In this embodiment, the program control unit 111 is connected directlyto the IC card 100-2 via the dedicated signal line 121. The dedicatedsignal line 121 is used to report a change in the internal state of theIC card 100-2 to the program control unit 111.

The display unit 112 is formed of, for example, a liquid crystal display(LCD). For example, the display unit 112 can present the processingresult of the program control unit 111 on a screen for notifying theuser.

The user input unit 113 is formed of a keyboard, a jog dial, or a touchpanel laid on the display screen of the display unit 112, and is usedfor a user to input commands or data to the portable terminal 110.

The program control unit 111 of the portable terminal 110 is driven bypower fed from a main power supply (not shown), such as a battery.

When a user of the portable terminal 110 with the IC card 100-2installed therein passes the portable terminal 110 over a predeterminedcard reading and writing apparatus, wireless communication is initiatedbetween the IC card 100-2 and the card reading and writing apparatus, sothat data is exchanged between the digital unit control 103 and the cardreading and writing apparatus via the antenna unit 101 and the analogunit 102, which serve as a wireless interface.

Each time data is exchanged, the internal state, such as a communicationphase between the digital control unit 103 and the card reading andwriting apparatus, changes. In this embodiment, a specific address ofthe memory 104 locally connected to the digital control unit 103 isassigned to a status flag indicating the internal state.

The digital control unit 103 directly reports the change in content ofthe status flag to the program control unit 111 of the portable terminal110 via the dedicated signal line 121.

The program control unit 111 executes processing corresponding to theinternal state reported via the dedicated signal line 121. For example,the internal state is expressed on the display unit 112 by an iconindicating “communication in progress”, a dialog for prompting userinput is opened, an application corresponding to the internal state isenabled, telephone line connection is performed (in a case of cellulartelephone), or access to a LAN or an external network such as theInternet is initiated. Furthermore, when the portable terminal 110 isconnected to a telephone network or a network, data communicated betweenthe IC card 100-2 and the card reading and writing apparatus can betransmitted to a host on the network, or, conversely, data downloadedfrom the host can be transmitted to the card reading and writingapparatus via the IC card 100-2.

FIG. 7 schematically shows the hardware configuration of an IC card100-3 according to a third embodiment of the present invention. As shownin FIG. 7, the IC card 100-2 includes an antenna unit 101, an analogunit 102, a digital control unit 103, a memory 104, and an externalinterface 105.

The antenna unit 101 performs non-contact data transmission andreception to and from a card reading and writing apparatus (not shown).The analog unit 102 performs processing on an analog signal which istransmitted or received from the antenna unit 101, such as detection,modulation/demodulation, and clock extraction.

The digital control unit 103 totally controls processing on receiveddata or data to be transmitted or other operations of the IC card. Thedigital control unit 103 is locally connected with the addressablememory 104, which can be used to store electronic money or electronicticketing applications, load a program code executed by the digitalcontrol unit 103, or to save the working data in progress.

The external interface 105 is a function module for connecting thedigital control unit 103 to an external device, such as the portableterminal 110, according to an interface protocol different from that ofa non-contact interface for connecting to the card reading and writingapparatus (not shown). The data written in the memory 104 can betransferred to the portable terminal 110 via the external interface 105.

In this embodiment, it is assumed that the IC card 100-3 is installed inthe portable terminal 110 when used, and the external interface 105 isimplemented as a wired interface such as a UART or I²C interface(described below). However, the interface specification of the externalinterface 105 is not limited in particular, and either a wired interfaceor a wireless interface such as a Bluetooth or IEEE.802.11b interfacemay be used.

In this embodiment, furthermore, the IC card 100-3 and the portableterminal 110 are connected with each other via the external interface105 as well as a dedicated signal line 121. Upon detection of a changein the internal state of the IC card 100-3, the digital control unit 103can report this detection directly to the portable terminal 110 via thededicated signal line 121 without intermediation of the externalinterface 105.

The IC card 100 can 3 be driven by, for example, a reception wavereceived from the card reading and writing apparatus via the antennaunit 101. It is to be understood that a part or all components thereofmay be driven by power supplied from the portable terminal 110.

The portable terminal 110 corresponds to, for example, an informationprocessing terminal such as a cellular telephone, a PDA, or a personalcomputer (PC). The portable terminal 110 includes a program control unit111, a display unit 112, a user input unit 113, and a power supplycontrol unit 114.

The program control unit 111 includes, for example, a microprocessor, aRAM, and a ROM (theses components are not shown in FIG. 7), and themicroprocessor uses the RAM for a work area to execute variousprocessing services according to a program code stored in the ROM. Theprocessing services includes the original functions of the portableterminal 110, such as a cellular telephone function, and processing forthe IC card 100-3. It is to be understood that the program control unit111 may include an external storage device such as a hard disk, andother peripheral devices.

The program control unit 111 can access the IC card 100-3 via theexternal interface 105.

The display unit 112 is formed of, for example, a liquid crystal display(LCD), and can present the processing result of the program control unit111 on a screen for notifying the user.

The user input unit 113 is formed of a keyboard, a jog dial, or a touchpanel laid on the display screen of the display unit 112, and is usedfor a user to input commands or data to the portable terminal 110.

The program control unit 111 of the portable terminal 110 is driven bypower fed from a main power supply (not shown), such as a battery. Thepower supply control unit 114 can control power supply from the mainpower supply to the program control unit 111 to be turned on or off.

In this embodiment, furthermore, the power supply control unit 114 isconnected directly to the IC card 100-3 via the dedicated signal line121. A change in the internal state of the IC card 100-3 is reported tothe power supply control unit 114 using the dedicated signal line 121,and the power supply control unit 114 can control power supply to theprogram control unit 111 to be turned on or off according to theinternal state.

When a user of the portable terminal 110 with the IC card 100-3installed therein passes the portable terminal 110 over a predeterminedcard reading and writing apparatus, wireless communication is initiatedbetween the IC card 100-3 and the card reading and writing apparatus, sothat data is exchanged between the digital unit 103 and the card readingand writing apparatus via the antenna unit 101 and the analog unit 102,which serve as a wireless interface.

Each time data is exchanged, the internal state, such as a communicationphase between the digital control unit 103 and the card reading andwriting apparatus, changes. In this embodiment, a specific address ofthe memory 104 locally connected to the digital control unit 103 isassigned to a status flag indicating the internal state.

The digital control unit 103 directly reports the change in content ofthe status flag to the power supply control unit 114 of the portableterminal 110 via the dedicated signal line 121.

The power supply control unit 114 performs processing corresponding tothe reported internal state. For example, when the IC card 100-3 isconnected to the card reading and writing apparatus and the programcontrol unit 111 must start processing for data transfer, power supplyto the program control unit 111 is turned on to execute it. Conversely,when the IC card 100-3 and the card reading and writing apparatus aredisconnected and the program control unit 111 need not be driven for theIC card 100-3, the power supply control unit 114 shuts off power supplyto the program control unit 111 to deactivate it.

FIG. 8 schematically shows the hardware configuration of an IC card100-4 according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention. Asshown in FIG. 8, the IC card 100-4 includes an antenna unit 101, ananalog unit 102, a digital control unit 103, a memory 104, an externalinterface 105, and a carrier wave detector 106.

The antenna unit 101 performs non-contact data transmission andreception to and from a card reading and writing apparatus (not shown).The analog unit 102 performs processing on an analog signal which istransmitted or received from the antenna unit 101, such as detection,modulation/demodulation, and clock extraction.

The carrier wave detector 106 detects a carrier wave from the cardreading and writing apparatus to output a detection signal to thedigital control unit 103.

The digital control unit 103 totally controls processing on receiveddata or data to be transmitted or other operations of the IC card. Thedigital control unit 103 is locally connected with the addressablememory 104, which can be used to store electronic money or electronicticketing applications, load a program code executed by the digitalcontrol unit 103, or to save the working data in progress.

The external interface 105 is a function module for connecting thedigital control unit 103 to an external device, such as the portableterminal 110, according to an interface protocol different from that ofa non-contact interface for connecting to the card reading and writingapparatus (not shown). The data written in the memory 104 can betransferred to the portable terminal 110 via the external interface 105.

In this embodiment, it is assumed that the IC card 100-4 is installed inthe portable terminal 110 when used, and the external interface 105 isimplemented as a wired interface such as a UART or I²C interface(described below). However, the interface specification of the externalinterface 105 is not limited in particular, and either a wired interfaceor a wireless interface such as a Bluetooth or IEEE.802.11b interfacemay be used.

In this embodiment, furthermore, the IC card 100-4 and the portableterminal 110 are connected with each other via the external interface105. When a change in the communication state of the IC card 100-5 isdetected by the carrier wave detector 106, the digital control unit 103can report this detection to the portable terminal 110 via the externalinterface 105.

The IC card 100-4 can be driven by, for example, a reception wavereceived from the card reading and writing apparatus via the antennaunit 101. It is to be understood that a part or all components of the ICcard 100-4 may be driven by power supplied from the portable terminal110.

The portable terminal 110 corresponds to, for example, an informationprocessing terminal such as a cellular telephone, a PDA, or a personalcomputer (PC). The portable terminal 110 includes a program control unit111, a display unit 112, and a user input unit 113.

The program control unit 111 includes, for example, a microprocessor, aRAM, and a ROM (these components are not shown in FIG. 8), and themicroprocessor uses the RAM for a work area to execute variousprocessing services according to a program code stored in the ROM. Theprocessing services include the original functions of the portableterminal 110, such as a cellular telephone function, and processing forthe IC card 100-4. It is to be understood that the program control unit111 may include an external storage device such as a hard disk, andother peripheral devices.

The program control unit 111 can access the IC card 100-4 via theexternal interface 105.

The display unit 112 is formed of, for example, a liquid crystaldisplay, and can present the processing result of the program controlunit 111 on a screen for notifying the user.

The user input unit 113 is formed of a keyboard, a jog dial, or a touchpanel laid on the display screen of the display unit 112, and is usedfor a user to input commands or data to the portable terminal 110.

The program control unit 111 of the portable terminal 110 is driven bypower fed from a main power supply (not shown), such as a battery.

When a user of the portable terminal 110 with the IC card 100-4installed therein passes the portable terminal 110 over a predeterminedcard reading and writing apparatus, wireless communication is initiatedbetween the IC card 100 and the card reading and writing apparatus, sothat data is exchanged between the digital control unit 103 and the cardreading and writing apparatus via the antenna unit 101 and the analogunit 102, which serve as a wireless interface.

At this time, the carrier wave detector 106 detects a carrier wave fromthe card reading and writing apparatus to output a detection signal tothe digital control unit 103.

In this embodiment, a specific address of the memory 104 locallyconnected to the digital control unit 103 is assigned to a status flagindicating the communication state of the IC card 100-4. The digitalcontrol unit 103 sets this status flag in response to detection of thecarrier wave by the carrier wave detector 106, and resets the statusflag when no carrier wave is detected.

A change in content of the status flag is sent to the program controlunit 111 of the portable terminal 110 via the external interface 105.

The program control unit 111 detects the communication state of the ICcard 100-4 with the card reading and writing apparatus based on thecontent of the status flag to perform processing according to thecommunication state. For example, the communication state is expressedon the display unit 112 by an icon indicating “communication inprogress”, a dialog for prompting user input is opened, an applicationcorresponding to the communication state is enabled, telephone lineconnection is performed (in a case of cellular telephone), or access toa LAN or an external network such as the Internet is initiated.Furthermore, when the portable terminal 110 is connected to a telephonenetwork or a network, data communicated between the IC card 100-4 andthe card reading and writing apparatus can be transmitted to a host onthe network, or, conversely, data downloaded from the host can betransmitted to the card reading and writing apparatus via the IC card100-4.

FIG. 9 schematically shows the hardware configuration of an IC card100-5 according to a fifth embodiment of the present invention. As shownin FIG. 9, the IC card 100-5 includes an antenna unit 101, an analogunit 102, a digital control unit 103, a memory 104, an externalinterface 105, and a carrier wave detector 106.

The antenna unit 101 performs non-contact data transmission andreception to and from a card reading and writing apparatus (not shown).The analog unit 102 performs processing on an analog signal which istransmitted or received from the antenna unit 101, such as detection,modulation/demodulation, and clock extraction.

The carrier wave detector 106 detects a carrier wave from the cardreading and writing apparatus to output a detection signal to thedigital control unit 103.

The digital control unit 103 totally controls processing on receiveddata or data to be transmitted or other operations of the IC card. Thedigital control unit 103 is locally connected with the addressablememory 104, which can be used to store electronic money or electronicticketing applications, load a program code executed by the digitalcontrol unit 103, or to save the working data in progress.

The external interface 105 is a function module for connecting thedigital control unit 103 to an external device, such as the portableterminal 110, according to an interface protocol different from that ofa non-contact interface for connecting to the card reading and writingapparatus (not shown). The data written in the memory 104 can betransferred to the portable terminal 110 via the external interface 105.

In this embodiment, it is assumed that the IC card 100-5 is installed inthe portable terminal 110 when used, and the external interface 105 isimplemented as a wired interface such as a UART or I²C interface(described below). However, the interface specification of the externalinterface 105 is not limited in particular, and either a wired interfaceor a wireless interface such as a Bluetooth or IEEE.802.11b interfacemay be used.

In this embodiment, furthermore, the IC card 100-5 and the portableterminal 110 are connected with each other via the external interface105 as well as a dedicated signal line 121. When a change in thecommunication state of the IC card 100-5 is detected by the carrier wavedetector 106, the digital control unit 103 can report this detectiondirectly to the portable terminal 110 via the dedicated signal line 121without intermediate of the external interface 105.

The IC card 100-5 can be driven by, for example, a reception wavereceived from the card reading and writing apparatus via the antennaunit 101. It is to be understood that a part or all components of the ICcard 100-5 may be driven by power supplied from the portable terminal110.

The portable terminal 110 corresponds to, for example, an informationprocessing terminal such as a cellular telephone, a PDA, or a personalcomputer (PC). The portable terminal 110 includes a program control unit111, a display unit 112, and a user input unit 113.

The program control unit 111 includes, for example, a microprocessor, aRAM, and a ROM (these components are not shown in FIG. 9), and themicroprocessor uses the RAM for a work area to execute variousprocessing services according to a program code stored in the ROM. Theprocessing services include the original functions of the portableterminal 110, such as a cellular telephone function, and processing forthe IC card 100-2. It is to be understood that the program control unit111 may include an external storage device such as a hard disk, andother peripheral devices.

The program control unit 111 can access the IC card 100-5 via theexternal interface 105.

In this embodiment, the program control unit 111 is connected directlyto the IC card 100-2 via the dedicated signal line 121. The dedicatedsignal line 121 is used to report a change in the internal state of theIC card 100-5 to the program control unit 111.

The display unit 112 is formed of, for example, a liquid crystal display(LCD), and can present the processing result of the program control unit111 on a screen for notifying the user.

The user input unit 113 is formed of a keyboard, a jog dial, or a touchpanel laid on the display screen of the display unit 112, and is usedfor a user to input commands or data to the portable terminal 110.

The program control unit 111 of the portable terminal 110 is driven bypower fed from a main power supply (not shown), such as a battery.

When a user of the portable terminal 110 with the IC card 100-5installed therein passes the portable terminal 110 over a predeterminedcard reading and writing apparatus, wireless communication is initiatedbetween the IC card 100-5 and the card reading and writing apparatus, sothat data is exchanged between the digital control unit 103 and the cardreading and writing apparatus via the antenna unit 101 and the analogunit 102, which serve as a wireless interface.

At this time, the carrier wave detector 106 detects a carrier wave fromthe card reading and writing apparatus to output a detection signal tothe digital control unit 103.

In this embodiment, a specific address of the memory 104 locallyconnected to the digital control unit 103 is assigned to a status flagindicating the communication state of the IC card 100-4. The digitalcontrol unit 103 sets this status flag in response to detection of thecarrier wave by the carrier wave detector 106, and resets the statusflag when no carrier wave is detected.

The digital control unit 103 directly reports a change in content of thestatus flag to the program control unit 111 of the portable terminal 110via the dedicated signal line 121.

The program control unit 111 detects the communication state of the ICcard 100-5 with the card reading and writing apparatus based on thereport via the dedicated signal line 121 to perform processing accordingto the communication state. For example, the communication state isexpressed on the display unit 112 by an icon indicating “communicationin progress”, a dialog for prompting user input is opened, anapplication corresponding to the internal state is enabled, telephoneline connection is performed (in a case of cellular telephone), oraccess to a LAN or an external network such as the Internet isinitiated. Furthermore, when the portable terminal 110 is connected to atelephone network or a network, data communicated between the IC card100-5 and the card reading and writing apparatus can be transmitted to ahost on the network, or, conversely, data downloaded from the host canbe transmitted to the card reading and writing apparatus via the IC card100-5.

FIG. 10 schematically shows the hardware configuration of an IC card100-6 according to a sixth embodiment of the present invention. As shownin FIG. 10, the IC card 100-6 includes an antenna unit 101, an analogunit 102, a digital control unit 103, a memory 104, an externalinterface 105, and a carrier wave detector 106.

The antenna unit 101 performs non-contact data transmission andreception to and from a card reading and writing apparatus (not shown).The analog unit 102 performs processing on an analog signal which istransmitted or received from the antenna unit 101, such as detection,modulation/demodulation, and clock extraction.

The carrier wave detector 106 detects a carrier wave from the cardreading and writing apparatus to output a detection signal to thedigital control unit 103.

The digital control unit 103 totally controls processing on receiveddata or data to be transmitted or other operations of the IC card. Thedigital control unit 103 is locally connected with the addressablememory 104, which can be used to store of electronic money or electronicticketing applications, load a program code executed by the digitalcontrol unit 103, or to save the working data in progress.

The external interface 105 is a function module for connecting thedigital control unit 103 to an external device, such as the portableterminal 110, according to an interface protocol different from that ofa non-contact interface for connecting to the card reading and writingapparatus (not shown). The data written in the memory 104 can betransferred to the portable terminal 110 via the external interface 105.

In this embodiment, it is assumed that the IC card 100-6 is installed inthe portable terminal 110 when used, and the external interface 105 isimplemented as a wired interface such as a UART or I²C interface(described below). However, the interface specification of the externalinterface 105 is not limited in particular, and either a wired interfaceor a wireless interface such as a Bluetooth or IEEE.802.11b interfacemay be used.

In this embodiment, furthermore, the IC card 100-3 and the portableterminal 110 are connected with each other via the external interface105 as well as a dedicated signal line 121. When a change in thecommunication state of the IC card 100-6 is detected by the carrier wavedetector 106, the digital control unit 103 can report this detectiondirectly to the portable terminal 110 via the dedicated signal line 121without intermediation of the external interface 105.

The IC card 100-6 can be driven by, for example, a reception wavereceived from the card reading and writing apparatus via the antennaunit 101. It is to be understood that a part or all components of the ICcard 100-6 may be driven by power supplied from the portable terminal110.

The portable terminal 110 corresponds to, for example, an informationprocessing terminal such as a cellular telephone, a PDA, or a personalcomputer (PC). The portable terminal 110 includes a program control unit111, a display unit 112, a user input unit 11, and a power supplycontrol unit 114.

The program control unit 111 includes, for example, a microprocessor, aRAM, and a ROM (these components are not shown in FIG. 10), and themicroprocessor uses the RAM for a work area to execute variousprocessing services according to a program code stored in the ROM. Theprocessing services include the original functions of the portableterminal 110, such as a cellular telephone function, and processing forthe IC card 100-3. It is to be understood that the program control unit111 may include an external storage device such as a hard disk, andother peripheral devices.

The program control unit 111 can access the IC card 100-6 via theexternal interface 105.

The display unit 112 is formed of, for example, a liquid crystal display(LCD), can present the processing result of the program control unit 111on a screen for notifying the user.

The user input unit 113 is formed of a keyboard, a jog dial, or a touchpanel laid on the display screen of the display unit 112, and is usedfor a user to input commands or data to the portable terminal 110.

The program control unit 111 of the portable terminal 110 is driven bypower fed from a main power supply (not shown), such as a battery. Thepower supply control unit 114 can control power supply from the mainpower supply to the program control unit 111 to be turned on or off.

In this embodiment, the power supply control unit 114 is connecteddirectly to the IC card 100-6 via the dedicated signal line 121. Whenthe carrier wave detector 106 of the IC card 100-6 detects a change inthe communication state of the IC card 100-6, this detection is reportedto the power supply control unit 114 using the dedicated signal line121, and the power supply control unit 114 can control power supply tothe program control unit 111 to be turned on or off according to thecommunication state.

When a user of the portable terminal 110 with the IC card 100-6installed therein passes the portable terminal 110 over a predeterminedcard reading and writing apparatus, wireless communication is initiatedbetween the IC card 100-6 and the card reading and writing apparatus, sothat data is exchanged between the digital unit 103 and the card readingand writing apparatus via the antenna unit 101 and the analog unit 102,which serve as a wireless interface.

At this time, the carrier wave detector 106 detects a carrier wave fromthe card reading and writing apparatus to output a detection signal tothe digital control unit 103.

In this embodiment, a specific address of the memory 104 locallyconnected to the digital control unit 103 is assigned to a status flagindicating the communication state of the IC card 100-6. The digitalcontrol unit 103 sets this status flag in response to detection of thecarrier wave by the carrier wave detector 106, and resets the statusflag when no carrier wave is detected.

The digital control unit 103 directly reports the change in content ofthe status flag to the program control unit 111 of the portable terminal110 via the dedicated signal line 121.

The power supply control unit 114 performs processing corresponding tothe reported communication state. For example, when the IC card 100-3 isconnected to the card reading and writing apparatus and the programcontrol unit 111 must start processing for data transfer, power supplyto the program control unit 111 is turned on to execute it. Conversely,when the IC card 100-3 and the card reading and writing apparatus aredisconnected and the program control unit 111 need not be driven for theIC card 100-3, the power supply control unit 114 shuts off power supplyto the program control unit 111 to deactivate it.

FIG. 11 is a diagram showing in further detail the hardwareconfiguration of the IC card 100 which realizes the embodiments shown inFIGS. 5 through 10. In the example shown in FIG. 11, the IC card furtherhas a card reading and writing function. The card reading and writingfunction of the IC card can achieve the payment system shown in FIG. 2.However, the card reading and writing function of the IC card is notessential to the present invention.

As shown in FIG. 11, the IC card 100 includes a card function unit 30corresponding to the analog unit 102, a data processor 40 correspondingto the digital control unit 103, the memory 104, and the externalinterface 105, and a card reader/writer 50.

In the card function unit 30, a carrier wave received by an antenna 32is rectified by a rectifier 31, and is then supplied to a signalprocessor 44 of the data processor 40 and to a logical circuit 38 via aserial regulator 33.

The logical circuit 38 controls a voltage from the serial regulator 33so that a desired power voltage V_(DD) for use in the IC card 100 issupplied.

The serial regulator 33 maintains an output voltage substantiallyconstant, regardless of an input voltage. Specifically, the serialregulator 33 increases the internal impedance when the input voltage ishigh, and decreases the internal impedance when the input voltage islow, thus making it possible to maintain the voltage.

A voltage detector 39 monitors the output terminal voltage of anexternal power supply (such as a battery) connected to the logicalcircuit 38 to output a signal for prohibiting use of the external powersupply to the logical circuit 38 when the voltage of the external powersupply is below a predetermined voltage.

In the card function unit 30, an electric wave input from the antenna 32is further checked by a carrier wave detector 34 to determine whether ornot the received wave contains a carrier wave. If it contains, a carrierwave detection signal VR is output to the logical circuit 38. Thelogical circuit 38 can also output to the data processor 40 a signalindicating that a carrier wave has been detected.

A clock extractor 35 extracts clock from the electric wave input fromthe antenna 32, and supplies it to a clock selector 36. A clockoscillator 37, which is formed of, for example, a crystal oscillatorexternal to the IC card 100, generates clock of a driving frequency foruse in the IC card 100, and supplies it to the clock selector 36. Theclock selector 36 selects one of the clock supplied from the clockextractor 35 and the clock supplied from the clock oscillator 37, andsupplies the selected clock to the components of the IC card 100.

The card reader/writer 50 includes a transmission amplifier 51, areceived signal detector 53, a reception amplifier/filter 54, andtransmission and reception antennas 52 and 55.

For data transmission, a transmission signal, which has been subjectedto modulation and D/A conversion by the signal processor 44 of the dataprocessor 40 so as to be up-converted into an analog baseband signal, issent from the antenna 51 via the transmission amplifier. A signalreceived from the antenna 52 is detected by the received signal detector53, and is amplified by the reception amplifier 54 before being suppliedto the signal processor 44. The signal processor 44 down-converts thesignal into an analog baseband signal, which is then subjected to D/Aconversion and demodulation, thereby reproducing digital data.

The card reading and writing operation between the IC card and the cardreading and writing apparatus has been previously described withreference to FIGS. 3 and 4.

The data processor 40 includes the above-noted signal processor 44, aCPU (Central Processing Unit) 45, a DES (Data Encryption Standard)engine 46, a CRC (Cyclic Redundancy Check) 47, a RAM (Random AccessMemory) 41, a ROM (Read Only Memory) 42, an EEPROM (ElectricallyErasable and Programmable ROM) 43, a UART interface 48, and an I²Cinterface 49. These components are connected with each other via aninternal bus.

The CPU 45 serves as a main controller for controlling the overalloperation of the IC card 100 to execute, for example, a program codestored in the ROM 42 (or the EEPROM 43) under the control of theoperating system (OS). For example, the CPU 45 executes an applicationregarding data which is transmitted or received via the card functionunit 30 or the card reader/writer 40.

The signal processor 44 performs processing on data to be transmittedvia the card function unit 30 or the card reader/writer 40, includingmodulation, D/A conversion, and up-conversion, and also performsprocessing on received data, including down-conversion, A/D conversion,and demodulation.

The DES engine 46 encodes and decodes data, which is transmitted orreceived via the card function unit 30 or the card reader/writer 40,using open-source secret key encoding.

The CRC 47 performs cyclic redundancy checks on data received via thecard function unit 30 or the card reader/writer 40.

The UART 48 and the I²C interface form external wired interfaces forconnecting the IC card 100 to external devices (not shown in FIG. 11)such as a cellular telephone, a PDA, and a personal computer. The UART(Universal asynchronous receiver transmitter) 48 has functions ofconverting a parallel signal in a computer into a serial signal, andconverting a serial signal into a parallel signal.

The RAM 41 is a rewritable memory device, and the CPU 41 uses the RAM 41as a work area to execute a program. Since the memory space provided bythe RAM 41 is addressable, the CPU 41 or the devices on the internal buscan access this memory space.

In this embodiment, the CPU 45 receives a report of carrier wavedetection from the card function unit 30 (described above). The CPU 45which processes data to be transmitted or received data via the signalprocessor 44 controls the internal state of the IC card 100 according toa communication phase.

A specific address of the memory space extended on the RAM 41 isassigned to an internal status flag indicating whether or not a carrierwave from the external card reading and writing apparatus has beendetected (that is, the communication state) or indicating the internalstate of the IC card 100. The CPU 45 updates setting details of theinternal status flag according to a change in the communication state orthe internal state.

An external device connected via an external wired interface, such asthe UART 48 or the I²C interface 49, can also access the internal statusflag on the RAM 41 to recognize the communication state or the internalstate of the IC card 100. In this way, the external device detects theinternal state of the IC card 100 to perform processing corresponding tothe internal state. For example, the internal state is expressed on thedisplay unit 112 by an icon indicating “communication in progress”, adialog for prompting user input is opened, an application correspondingto the internal state is enabled, telephone line connection is performed(in a case of cellular telephone), or access to a LAN or an externalnetwork such as the Internet is initiated. Furthermore, when theportable terminal 110 is connected to a telephone network or a network,data communicated between the IC card 100 and the card reading andwriting apparatus can be transmitted to a host on the network, or,conversely, data downloaded from the host can be transmitted to the cardreading and writing apparatus via the IC card 100.

The CPU 45 further includes a control signal line 56 output directly toan external device (not shown), and can therefore directly report achange in the communication state or the internal state to the externaldevice via the control signal line 56 without intermediation of anexternal wired interface such as the UART 48 or the I²C interface 49.The external device receives the report of the internal state of the ICcard 100 to perform processing corresponding to the internal state (seeabove).

Appendix

The present invention has been described in detail with reference tospecific examples. However, it is obvious that modifications orreplacements may be made to the embodiment by those skilled in the artwithout departing the spirit and scope of the present invention. Thepresent invention has been disclosed in an exemplary form, and this formshould not be construed as the restricted one. Reference should be madeto the claims for delineation of the scope of the present invention.

INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY

According to the present invention, there can be provided a betternon-contact IC card or IC chip including a wireless interface forwireless data access to a memory function from an external reader/writerand a wired interface for connection with an external device, and abetter information processing terminal connected to such an IC card viaa wired interface or incorporating such an IC chip when used.

According to the present invention, furthermore, there can be provided abetter IC card including both a wireless interface and a wiredinterface, in which processing related to the IC card can be smoothlyinitiated without heavy burden on the user, and a better informationprocessing terminal connected to such an IC card via a wired interfaceor having the IC card installed therein.

According to the present invention, furthermore, there can be provided abetter IC card including both a wireless interface and a wiredinterface, in which processing according to the communication statebetween the IC card and a card reading and writing apparatus or theinternal state of the IC card can be smoothly initiated, and a betterinformation processing terminal connected to such an IC card via a wiredinterface or having the IC card installed therein.

When an IC card is passed over a card reading and writing apparatus, theIC card starts communication with the card reading and writing apparatusvia a wireless interface. According to the present invention, a changein the internal state of the IC card can be reported to or a reportindicating whether or not a carrier wave from the card reading andwriting apparatus has been detected can be sent to an informationprocessing terminal via an external wired interface or a dedicatedcontrol signal line. The information processing terminal does not relyon a user operation to automatically enable a specific application forprocessing the IC card or power on a controller to activate it. When nocarrier wave is detected, the controller may be powered off ordeactivated, thus achieving power saving.

The invention claimed is:
 1. An IC chip configured for incorporationinto a portable communication terminal apparatus, the IC chipcomprising: a memory for storing information; a wireless communicationunit for receiving an electromagnetic wave from an externalreader/writer; an analog signal processing unit for processing thereceived electromagnetic wave, said analog signal processing unitincluding a carrier wave detection unit for detecting a carrier wavefrom the electromagnetic wave received by the wireless communicationunit to output a carrier wave detection signal; an interface unitconfigured for connection to a program control unit residing outside theIC chip but within the portable communication terminal apparatus, theconnection to the program control unit being through a wired interfacewhen the IC chip is incorporated into the portable communicationterminal apparatus; and a digital control unit for processing a signaloutputted from the analog signal processing unit and controlling accessto the memory according to an access request from the externalreader/writer or an access request from the program control unit throughthe interface unit, wherein said digital control unit notifies saidprogram control unit of the portable communication terminal apparatus ofan internal state of the IC chip, which said internal state changesaccording to the wireless communication with the external reader/writer,by the carrier wave detection signal detected.
 2. An IC chip accordingto claim 1, wherein the wireless communication unit varies a load acrossan antenna thereof according to a response signal to a query signal fromthe external reader/writer, so that a signal that appears in a receivingcircuit of the external reader/writer is amplitude-modulated forcommunication.
 3. An IC chip according to claim 1, wherein saidnotification of the internal state from said digital control unit, whichis obtained from the carrier wave detection unit, is sent to the programcontrol unit via the interface unit.
 4. An IC chip according to claim 1,wherein said notification of the internal state from said digitalcontrol unit, which is obtained from the carrier wave detection unit, issent to the program control unit via a dedicated communication path andnot via the interface unit.
 5. A portable communication terminalapparatus which is equipped with an IC chip for performing wirelesscommunication with an external reader/writer, said portablecommunication terminal apparatus comprising: a program control unit forcontrolling the overall operation of the terminal; and a power supplycontrol unit for controlling power supply to the program control unit tobe turned on or off, wherein said IC chip comprises; a wirelesscommunication unit for receiving an electromagnetic wave from saidexternal reader/writer; an analog signal processing unit for processingthe received electromagnetic wave, said analog signal processing unitincluding a carrier wave detection unit for detecting a carrier wavefrom the electromagnetic wave received by the wireless communicationunit to output a carrier wave detection signal; an interface unitconfigured for connection to the program control unit, the programcontrol unit residing outside the IC chip but within the portablecommunication terminal apparatus, the connection to the program controlunit being through a wired interface; a memory for storing information;and a digital control unit for processing a signal outputted from theanalog signal processing unit and controlling access to the memoryaccording to an access request from the external reader/writer or anaccess request from the program control unit through the interface unit,wherein said digital control unit notifies said program control unit ofthe portable communication terminal apparatus of an internal state ofthe IC chip, which said internal state changes according to the wirelesscommunication with the external reader/writer, by the carrier wavedetection signal detected.
 6. A portable communication terminalapparatus according to claim 5, wherein the program control unit startspredetermined processing when the IC chip detects a carrier wave fromthe external reader/writer.
 7. A portable communication terminalapparatus according to claim 5, wherein the power supply control unitswitches power supply to the control unit to be turned on or offaccording to whether or not the IC chip has detected a carrier wave fromthe external reader/writer.
 8. A portable communication terminalapparatus according to claim 5, wherein said notification of theinternal state from said digital control unit to said program controlunit, which is obtained from the carrier wave detection signal, isreceived from the IC chip via the interface unit.
 9. A portablecommunication terminal apparatus according to claim 5, wherein saidnotification of the internal state from said digital control unit tosaid program control unit, which is obtained from the carrier wavedetection signal, is received from the IC chip via a dedicatedcommunication path and not via the interface unit.
 10. A portablecommunication terminal apparatus according to claim 5, furthercomprising a display unit for visually displaying information, whereinthe report indicating whether or not the carrier wave has been detected,which is received from the IC chip, is displayed on the display unit foroutput.
 11. A portable communication terminal apparatus according toclaim 5, further comprising a user input unit for inputting commands ordata to the portable communication terminal apparatus.
 12. An IC chipconfigured for incorporation into a portable communication terminalapparatus, the IC chip comprising: a memory configured to storeinformation; wireless communication circuitry configured to receive asignal from an external reader/writer; interface circuitry configured toconnect to program control circuitry residing outside the IC chip butwithin the portable communication terminal apparatus, the connection tothe program control circuitry being through a wired interface when theIC chip is incorporated into the portable communication terminalapparatus; and digital control circuitry configured to process thesignal and control access to the memory according to an access requestfrom the external reader/writer or an access request from the programcontrol circuitry through the interface circuitry, wherein said digitalcontrol circuitry is configured to notify said program control circuitryof the portable communication terminal apparatus of an internal state ofthe IC chip, said internal state changing according to a communicationbetween the wireless communication circuitry and the externalreader/writer.
 13. An IC chip according to claim 12, wherein saidnotification of the internal state from said digital control circuitryis sent to the program control circuitry via the interface circuitry.14. An IC chip according to claim 12, wherein said notification of theinternal state from said digital control circuitry is sent to theprogram control circuitry via a dedicated communication path and not viathe interface circuitry.
 15. A portable communication terminal apparatuswhich is equipped with an IC chip for performing wireless communicationwith an external reader/writer, said portable communication terminalapparatus comprising: program control circuitry for controlling theoverall operation of the terminal; and power supply control circuitryfor controlling power supply to the program control circuitry to beturned on or off, wherein said IC chip comprises; wireless communicationcircuitry configured to receive a signal from said externalreader/writer; interface circuitry configured to connect to the programcontrol circuitry, the program control circuitry residing outside the ICchip but within the portable communication terminal apparatus, theconnection to the program control circuitry being through a wiredinterface; a memory configured to store information; and digital controlcircuitry configured to process a signal and control access to thememory according to an access request from the external reader/writer oran access request from the program control circuitry through theinterface circuitry, wherein said digital control circuitry isconfigured to notify said program control circuitry of the portablecommunication terminal apparatus of an internal state of the IC chip,said internal state changing according to a communication between thewireless communication circuitry and with the external reader/writer.16. A portable communication terminal apparatus according to claim 15,wherein the program control circuitry starts predetermined processingwhen the IC chip detects a carrier wave from the external reader/writer.17. A portable communication terminal apparatus according to claim 15,wherein the power supply control circuitry switches power supply to thecontrol circuitry to be turned on or off according to whether or not theIC chip has detected a carrier wave from the external reader/writer. 18.A portable communication terminal apparatus according to claim 15,wherein said notification of the internal state from said digitalcontrol circuitry to said program control circuitry is received from theIC chip via the interface circuitry.
 19. A portable communicationterminal apparatus according to claim 15, wherein said notification ofthe internal state from said digital control circuitry to said programcontrol circuitry is received from the IC chip via a dedicatedcommunication path and not via the interface circuitry.
 20. A portablecommunication terminal apparatus according to claim 15, furthercomprising: display circuitry for visually displaying information,wherein the report indicating whether or not a carrier wave has beendetected, which is received from the IC chip, is displayed on thedisplay circuitry for output.
 21. A portable communication terminalapparatus according to claim 15, further comprising: user inputcircuitry for inputting commands or data to the portable communicationterminal apparatus.